Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for the ARC

A ride that's for sure. It took some time before we got to the action but then it started to get really fun. It was twisty and suspenseful and fun to read. I was however confused about the rules for ghosts and found some plot holes, but otherwise it was a good book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Disney Hyperion, and Ms. Crowley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. An honest review was requested but not required.

Annie Lane wakes up in a river. Annie takes several chapters to truly understand what is clear to the reader (this reader, anyway) right away: she is dead. But WHAT happened to her? and why? and who killed her? Because Annie died on Resurrection Hill she is a peculiar state of undead that allows her to become corporeal and interact with townspeople as though she was alive (if she so chooses), although unless it's Halloween she can't leave the town borders. And so Annie uses her mostly dead but sort-of-alive status to try and solve the mystery of her murder. She's helped (or IS SHE?) by fellow undead ghosts from Resurrection Hill, particularly 60s greaser/nerd/potential murderer Sam.

The storyline of Annie solving her murder was really fun. The chapters move at record speed and I literally tore through this book in a few hours by the pool on vacation. HOWEVER. I had MANY questions, and there were some major holes in the world-building. Why would her brothers not have been worried about her? What happened to them; did Annie abandon them to go live in the fancy house on the hill? It's clear the mom was neglecting them completely. And what happened to the mom? What justice did Maura get? What would happen if Annie's body was ever found? Who was the burnt girl and what was her significance? Why was she trying to sow dissent between Annie and Sam? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. I mean, did I miss all of this? am I the only one?

Still it was a fun, feral, feisty, feminist ride and I would recommend it to anyone who can put up with Sam's OTT weird 60s slang and some small- to medium-sized gaps in the plot. Annie, and to a lesser extent, Maura, are the stars here. 3 1/2 stars.

A lot of my teens have been asking for more horror and this one is a great one to add to the list! This had a lot of suspense, but also had a strong main character which I feel like a lot of teen horror novels lack. It reminded me of Jennifer's Body/Lisa Frankenstein in all the best ways!

So, I am a bit of a hater with this book. It put me to sleep. Please remember that I got an uncorrected proof, so some of these issues may have been resolved, but here is why:

-Gen Z slang cringe. Like teenagers don't sound like that.
-Takes forever to get to the plot
-Ghost confusion? What are the rules? How does the world work? Why can people see her?
-No unique voices for the characters.

This is just my opinion though, and I look like I am in the minority, so just ignore me and give it a shot.

What a book! From the blurb I was drawn in, from the first page I was hooked!
I loved it being from Annie's pov and going through the journey with her as she tries to figure out who kills her.
The twists and revelations on the way had me on tender hooks. I didn't know what was gonna happen and my gosh I was shooked at the outcome.

I thoroughly enjoyed the way it was written and the flashbacks helped fill in the blanks. It was perfectly tied together.

I really hope there's a follow up book and we get to learn about Sam, Fern and the others stories

I'll admit the title is what made me want to read this book. The beginning of this really sucked me in as we find Annie dazed, confused and covered in dirt. She doesn't quite understand how she ended up where she was and it was fun to watch her come back for vengeance.

Dark, depressing, and filled with language. A good enough read but not something I could bring into my classroom. Things really picked up in the 2nd half of the book. Still unsure of the murderer’s motive but I guess I can see the connection. This book scored higher for me thanks to Sam and gang who I thought were the best part.

"Murdered bad girl Annie Lane is back from the grave and hellbent on revenge . . . she just has to figure out who killed her."

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch is the debut novel from Codie Crowley, a special thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for the advanced copy of this YA thriller.

I will admit to selecting this based on the title and cover; the plot description also sounded like a lot of fun. However I was slightly disappointed overall. Although I enjoyed the protagonist and stylized snappy dialogue, there seemed to be something missing here. I would have appreciated a bit more world building; there was a lot left unexplained including some plot holes, inconsistencies, and character development.

As this is a debut from Crowley, I do look forward to reading her work again in the future.

✨2.5 stars✨

The title of this book immediately drew me in so when I received an ARC I was really excited!

However, there were so many plot holes and inconsistencies in this book that I found them taking away from my overall enjoyment. Like when Annie goes back to her school when she’s trying to find out what happened to her, is she a ghost? Because the other characters can clearly see her and are able to communicate with her easily… but she’s dead? That only scratches the surface on things that didn’t make sense to me.

I did enjoy the mystery aspect but none of the characters were capable of holding my attention and I just found myself skim reading chunks. The reveal of the killer wasn’t shocking either which is a shame because I thought I was really going to enjoy this.

You might enjoy this if you’re looking for a fast read for around spooky season but personally this wasn’t for me sadly.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch is a rare debut gem–a young adult horrorfest with vengeance at its best. If the title doesn’t grab you, the plot will.

From the moment I delved into its pages, I knew I was hooked and embarking on a journey unlike any other. It’s not just a book; it’s an experience. It’s a visceral, emotional rollercoaster that left me breathless and rooting for Annie from start to finish.

Annie is an outstanding character with guts, sarcastic wit, and an immortal determination to find out what happened to her and her best friend Maura. Her amateur detective work is entertaining and her interactions with other characters is priceless. However, it’s the bad things that happen to her before her terrible death that make her vengeance even more satisfying to read.

The writing and pacing is incredible. The character development is exquisite. The worldbuilding is original with a wrathful ghost/revenant who has unearthly skills I’d never seen before.

As I turned the last page, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer brilliance of Crowley’s superb craftsmanship. It’s bizarre, it’s funny, and it opens the darkest corners of the imagination. I’m adding this to my favorite books of 2024.

Thank you to Ms. Crowley for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

I didn’t expect a book with a title like this to make me emotional, but it did. It had the feminine rage of Jennifer’s Body and also the poignancy and senselessness of Under the Bridge which was a beautiful combination. The way Annie is treated (in life and death) was so heartbreaking.

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

It's a YA paranormal thriller that will quickly become a high school horror fan's most requested book.

In my past reviews, I have admitted that I have chosen books because of their cover or subject matter. On this occasion, I selected this book based on the title alone. Because who doesn't love a good revenge story? Especially when the main protagonist is trying to figure out who murdered her.

I enjoyed the short punchy chapters and the mystery of Annie trying to figure out what happened to her. Codie Crowley puts her main character through a lot of intriguing circumstances and I found that compelling enough to keep turning the pages.

On the other hand, I needed a little bit more understanding about the world that Annie was now living in. Why if she was dead, was she able to eat, drink, and converse so much with the living? That's why I feel my review sits in the 3-star category.

When all is revealed and Annie races to confront her killer- that was some fairly captivating action. All in all, I am quite satisfied with my reading experience.

I really enjoyed this thriller! It kept me on my toes & the premise drew me in from the first page to the last. There was never a dull moment & the twists & turns were unexpected & constant!!! I loved Annie. She was such a strong main character and learning her story was incredibly entertaining while also having the melancholy needed for a story like this at the times it was necessary. The revenge plot was everything- I couldn’t get enough! I would’ve loved to learn more about a few more side characters backstories, but that truly would be my only “nitpick” if I had to make one!

Of course I had to read this because of the title and because I love horror. I thought the mystery of a girl having to solve her own murder after she becomes a ghost was compelling enough to finish especially since it was a shorter read, but it was hard to get into initially. I struggled with the writing style which relied very heavily on describing things to almost an excessive amount (How many different ways do you need to describe red hair?). I wanted more character development and less character describing things. It’s an interesting concept but because so much time is spent on the mystery there isn’t as much time to explore the lives of the other ghosts the main character meets and the rules of ghost world. Probably more accurately a 2.5 stars but I’m rounding up to 3. Thank you to Disney for the arc for review through NetGalley.

This book had so many layers and was so messed up and was suspenseful and horrific. If the premise sounds like something you’ll like, then you definitely will.

This is a very good supernatural mystery that will appeal to teenagers. It is not the most original but is a fun read and will add it to my library.

"Some girls never rest in peace."
Annie finds herself fighting to find the surface of the water, with no memory of how she got there. The last thing she remembers is going to watch her on-again, off-again ex-boyfriend's band. Struggling to find someone to ask for help, she runs across people where they shouldn't be.

Annie struggles to remember what happened to her, who these new people are, and what happened to her best friend. Something is really strange about thee new people. Why did she not know these people live in this abandoned area on the edge of town.?

This book is a thrill ride with comedic scenes, as well as twists and turns. Annie is forced to face her new life, as well as discover that she didn't know the people in town as well as she thought she did. I had a difficult time putting the book down, every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, something unexpected happened.

I have lots of friends that will love this book!

I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 ⭐️

When Annie wakes up in a river, she is confused about how she got there. She keeps getting flashes of violence and an attack. However, she cannot remember who is responsible. Upon stumbling towards town, she meets a group of teens living in a house on the mountain (near where she was dumped). As she spends time with them, she learns that they are not alive - and neither is she. She becomes determined to find out who is responsible and get her revenge.

This one was pretty good in terms of fast-paced readability. I did want to keep reading to find out what happened, although at times I did not love the dialogue/felt the beginning was really repetitive with Annie just being convinced her ex was responsible. The final whodunit I felt was predictable, although there was a macabre twist there too. There were also a few things that were left unanswered and were confusing. For instance, at times Annie gets visited by a fire girl (no real better way to describe her/this is essentially what Annie calls her). The other kids in the house just keep warning that not everyone in the spirit world is nice, but we don't get more resolution than that. Like was this girl just a mechanic to get Annie to lose faith in Sam?? If so, it seems like there could have been an easier way to do that. Despite that, still fast-paced and a decent thriller story.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I didn’t expect a book with a title like this to make me emotional, but it did. It had the feminine rage of Jennifer’s Body and also the poignancy and senselessness of Under the Bridge which was a beautiful combination. The way Annie is treated (in life and death) was so heartbreaking. I just wanted to hug her. I loved the family she finds with Sam, Fern and the others. I would have liked to get to know those characters a bit better, but I truly enjoyed the scenes they had. I thought the book had great commentary on misogyny, violence and neglect. I did think the pacing was a little off at times, especially towards the middle, but I was never bored. I absolutely wanted to know what had happened to this girl. I’d highly recommend it for fans of light horror and true crime.
CW: mentions of animal death, sexual assault, sexual harassment, death, murder, emotional abuse, violence, injury, grief, pedophilia

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went into "Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch" looking for a fun horror palate cleanser. I keep picking up hefty fantasy books, and I needed a break. It was heavier than I expected, but it hooked me in and didn't let me go. I kept putting the book down and found myself picking it up only a few minutes later.

While I found the characters interesting, I'm not sure I would describe them as likable. Annie is a force. She is unapologetically herself and does what she wants. For most of the book, I was trying to figure out who killed Annie, and everyone was a suspect. It's hard to like chatacters when you are wondering if they are murders. Codie Crowley successfully had me bouncing between suspects until the very end.

If you are someone who enjoys horror with some paranormal aspects, then I would recommend "Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch."